Lately finding the sweet spot of work/life balance has been hard! Three years ago, during my pre-Eveleigh days, I wouldn’t have thought too much about it. But having a little person changes EVERYTHING!

In addition to building my small business I also work full time during the day. I love my day job and I’m very lucky to work for a company that is only nine blocks from my house (I ride my bike there almost every day!) The big question is…how to find the balance between work, being a mom and fulfilling my dream of having Tootsie & Marie turn from “side-hustle” to full time bustle. Let’s start with this fact… DAY JOB = 40 hours of my work/life balance equation.

Now we have to take into account the following factors: first and foremost, my two and half year old daughter Everleigh! Then of course there is that person whom I have decided to share my life with, the man, the myth, the legend, whom I call husband, Zephyr. 🙂 Throw a few animals into the mix (my dog is sitting on my lap as I write this) and now you have a large chunk of “beings” that also need attention and love. And, I would not be anyone if it wasn’t for these people. But, writing this out is not helping me find any more balance than when I started drafting this post.

In addition to my 40 hours per week job, Tootsie & Marie and my family that I share my life with, I also have extended family and friends I want to make time for. And last, but not least, what about a little time for me? AHHHH! It’s all too much!

I try to plan my days, weeks and months (ever so slightly) in advance in order to allow myself time for everyone and everything and IT’S FREAKING HARD! Trying to keep track of my husband’s, Everleigh’s and my own schedule can become a bit of a mess. Let’s face it, life is crazy (and not just for me) and I’m not as organized as I would like to be with planning. Perhaps that is my first issue.

When I am able to focus on my business it is usually the same time that my little lady is around and I don’t want to focus on anything but her! You can’t blame me there! But the reality is Tootsie & Marie will never flourish if I don’t invest some time and energy into it. So there, I am back to square one – trying to find the work/life balance that I dream of. Is it even possible? Perhaps I’m putting too much pressure on myself to even try to figure it out. But, there has to be a way. Right?

Finding that perfect balance is an adventure. I never really thought it was too difficult before Everleigh, but now it’s a whole new ball game. The struggle, really is…REAL! We all deal with it, and don’t get me wrong, I WOULD NOT CHANGE A THING! I just need to figure how to work out a new balance. My new happy place.

Is there a magic day planner out there that I should be using? An app for my phone or iPad? Friends, this is where YOU (the lovely person reading this post) come into play. Can you help me by sharing some of your own insight? How do you figure out your work/life balance? What small (or large) changes have you made when getting married, having children or adding a new four legged child to your home? And most importantly, how to incorporate a little “me time” in the mix? I would love to hear from you! Email me at hello(at)tootsieandmarie.com, and if you do I will snail mail you a of summer themed greeting card with envelope as a “thank you!”

Thanks, in advance, for your feedback. I look forward to hearing from you soon!